TCU women’s tennis fell 4-2 to Rice in the NCAA First Round, ending a historic 20-win season for the Big 12 champion Frogs.
TCU women’s tennis saw its breakthrough season end Saturday with a 4-2 loss to Rice in the NCAA Tournament First Round at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge.
The Horned Frogs, who finished 20-5, grabbed early momentum by winning the doubles point, but Rice controlled singles play and won four of the five completed courts to advance.
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Even with the loss, TCU closed one of its best seasons in years after winning the Big 12 Tournament Championship and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
TCU started strong in doubles. Raquel Caballero Chica and Jennifer Jackson won their seventh straight match together, beating Francesca Maguina and Ema Mravcova 7-5.
Cayetana Gay and Tomi Main followed with a 6-4 win over Divna Ratkovic and Daniela Chica to give the Frogs a 1-0 lead.
Caballero Chica kept TCU rolling in singles. The No. 86-ranked junior defeated Darya Schwartzman 6-2, 6-2 on court one, pushing the Frogs ahead 2-0.
From there, Rice took over. Uma Bakaityte beat Cristina Ramos Sierra 6-2, 6-1 on court three, and Ratkovic topped Yu-Chin Tsai 6-2, 6-2 on court two to tie the match.
The Owls then finished it with wins on courts five and four, including Maguina’s 7-6, 6-4 victory over Jackson.
Gay forced a third set on court six, but the match was left unfinished after Rice clinched.
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The ending stings, but the season still marked a major step forward for TCU.
The Frogs earned their first NCAA bid in nine years, won their first Big 12 Tournament title and matched the program’s highest win total since 2008.
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